Politi-Beat: First quarter congressional fundraising reports are in

Wednesday

Apr 16, 2014 at 12:23 PMApr 17, 2014 at 10:45 AM

Will Richmond Herald News City Editor

The first quarter of the 2014 election cycle has come to an end meaning candidates for federal office are required to submit their campaign fundraising and spending activity for the first three months of the year.

While no opponents have emerged in the 4th Congressional District, current U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III raising more than a quarter million dollars during the reporting period.

According to Kennedy's filing with the Federal Election Committee, the first term congressman raised $300,686 during the year's first quarter, while spending $180,645. He reported having $1,032,266 remaining in his campaign account.

While the 4th district race lacks any competition, the Republican field in the 9th Congressional District includes four candidates seeking the party nomination.

Leading the field in money received was Sandwich attorney Dan Shores, who reported raising $205,239. Most of that total, however, was in the form of a $157,000 loan Shores provided to his campaign. Shores also reporting dispersing $29,221 and having $176,017 remaining.

While most of Shores' total is self-financed, John Chapman led the way in the amount raised, collecting $102,491. Chapman also spent $88,871 and reports having $119,421 remaining.

Next on the list is Mark Alliegro, who raised $13,941, spent $13,963 and reported $11,964 on hand. Vincent Cogliano reported raising $2,165, spending $1,290 and reports $3,375 available for future use.

In his filing, Democratic incumbent Bill Keating reporting raising $169,889 during the quarter, while spending $38,300. He remains the clear leader in available funds, reporting $550,459 remaining in his campaign coffers.

Following the release of the fundraising numbers, Chapman campaign manager Vincent Voci issued the following statement:

"The first financial quarter has come to a close and I am proud to say that John has raised $102,491.00 and has $119,421.93 cash on hand. While Bill Keating continues to fill his campaign coffers with special interest and Washington establishment dollars, John is making progress every day, as evidenced by his strong fundraising and endorsements from Republican leaders like Mitt Romney and Scott Brown. He is the best candidate to run and win in November and bring much-needed change to Washington."

According to Keating's filing, $89,000 was received by the congressman from Political Action Committees during the first quarter. Chapman reported $1,100 in PAC contributions.

Shores also issued a statement via a release early Wednesday afternoon touting his available cash, but not mentioning where the bulk of this funds came from.

"As someone who is not part of the political establishment, I am grateful for the significant support received thus far. That support is an important building block, allowing us to campaign hard this spring and summer," Shores said. "I believe strongly that our message of solving problems through hard work and leadership is resonating with working families and other voters in our communities and will continue to do so as we move forward with this important campaign during this critical time in our nation's history."

Email Will Richmond at wrichmond@heraldnews.com or reach me on Twitter @Will_Richmond.

Note: This entry was corrected from the original post to reflect the April 2014 filings of Keating and Kennedy.